Need ideas for how to stop parents driving onto school site. HELP!

[pooka]

Hi there

OUr school is trying to stop parents driving along narrow access onto the school site in morning/afternoon to collect children.

Accessing the site involves crossing the main pavement full of children walking in and out of the site. Witnessed a small child almost being run over this morning as the parent driving just carried on into the site.

The school have asked for parents to come up with ideas. The problem is that the site is shared with a music centre which has a large car park. The staff of the music centre and the school, and evening music pupils are allowed access, so permanently barring the access would be impracticable, as would carded entry, because there would then at times (prob rush hour) be cars backed up into main road.

The school have tried publishing reg. details of the parents driving into site. But to no avail. Does anyone have any bright ideas of things the school could do to deter persistent offenders. It really is a big safety issue and is really worrying when you approach the site to access the pedestrian walkway, particularly with small younger siblings, as the cars swoop in and out.

Thanks for any bright ideas!

could you bar access at certain times eg 8.40-9am and 3.10-3.30?
our local primary sch shares a site with the children's centre and has a similar problem. They have a barrier that goes down at those times - all staff are there before 8.30 and leave after 3.30 so there is no reason for cars to enter the site at all during those 2x20min slots.

The other thing to do is give people with permission to enter the site a sticker to put on their reaqrview mirror (like you get at center parcs) and for a limited time only have an actual person (either staff or a parent volunteer) allowing stickered cars in and turning others away until people get the hang of it.

Or slap rude notices on unauthorised cars parked on site.

Good idea re: access only at specific times. Will ask the school about whether the music centre absolutely needs free access all day.

I've suggested flyers on cars in car park and possibility of staff doing stop checks (would prefer it if they were, you know, teaching or working instead of stopping people doing something that they're constantly reminded not to do though Would volunteer, although the parents entering tend to be ones I'd rather not antagonise

I do very much like the idea of the stickers for "authorised" cars, and an intensive programme of turning people away if they don't have a pass. Is immediately obvious which drivers are parking for the school, since their children are wearing the school uniform!

we have similar issues. gates are closed at the critical times due to the risks. permits are issued to those with the disabled parking badges only to enter the site.

when it was first enforced, several cars entered the site several minutes before the gates were locked. The head stood by the locked gate and let the cars all queue up and wait until 3.35 before the gates were opened - they never did it again!

we do, however, have a car park just off-site so there was still somewhere safe for parents to drop-off when the above was introduced.

The best bet is to put an yellow jacket on someone and get them to actually stop every single car trying to gain access and check them. Then continue to keep advertising what you are doing in the weekly newsletter. Parents will eventually get the hang of it, but I suspect it will take some one being on car watch for at least a week before there is any change. Bad habits take a long time to change .

we do access only at specific times. Couldyou have a traffic warden or PSCO around as well?

Put a notice at the gate saying Private Property.

Get volunteer children from the top classes to stop them and ask for sponsorship money.

Take photos of all the cars and post them on a noticeboard, or in th local paper, under an embarrassing heading.

Organise a rota of parents to stand there and warn people off - try recruiting for the rota from the offending drivers.

we got a community policeman to come and ticket everyone, it was great!

Are you able to block access just at school pick up times - or do the taxis need to be able to drive in/out?

If you are able to block access then maybe some kind of rollaway net here. GLTC used to sell them but can't get on their website at the moment.

The net could be rolled out at pick up/drop off times and put away rest of the time.

Our caretaker used to police our site in a yellow jacket - it is a hassle though.

More good ideas! Thanks

Am particularly liking the idea of mobile car crusher being on site for a week or so. Though since they can't even clamp (apparently) I think might be a non-starter.

I agree that having people (staff or parents) visibly checking, marking down registrations, photographing or whatever is probably the best cure.

I love Riven's anti-tank missile suggestion.

This makes me fume A minority of parents at ours sail in as if they have every right to do so. It improved when the teachers started patrolling the gate but that seems to have tailed of a bit lately. Maybe they should fine people.

The school used to clamp unauthorised parkers and they had to pay a £25 fine (which went to the Head's choice of charity) to get it released - normally incurring a 30 minute wait as well - but that depended on someone patrolling and being vigilant enough to spot them.

The school has a dentist, an accountancy firm nearby & is within distance of town - ppl who were parking there were being challenged and just shrugged their shoulders and walking off (never has puncturing tyres seemed so attractive!)

The school now have rising bollards with a key pad to get out. They go permanently down for the music school (who are there twice a week after school) and on parents eves. Ppl who have been caught have to pay a £25 fine.